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Public Safety

The City of Hoboken invites all members of the public to attend a promotions ceremony for seven members of the Hoboken Police Department. The ceremony will be held on Tuesday, March 3rd, 2015 at 3:00pm in the City Council Chambers at Hoboken City Hall, 94 Washington Street.

Lieutenant Kevin Cruz is retiring and will be honored at the ceremony. Police Sergeant John Petrosino will be promoted to Police Lieutenant. Police Officers Saverio R. Binetti, Jonathan Butler, Arbend Drishti, Edward M. Sellick, Steven C. Kranz, and Robert Fulton will be promoted to Police Sergeant.

Since becoming Chief of Police on December 1, 2014, Chief Kenneth Ferrante has implemented a series of changes in the Hoboken Police Department to improve operations and service to the community. The changes include significantly increased police presence on nights and weekends, enhanced patrols of the waterfront and parks, tripling the size and expanding the enforcement hours of the Traffic Division, new Saturday hours for the Bureau of Identification, expanded hours for the Bureau of Investigation, and expanded officer training.

“In just a matter of weeks, Chief Ferrante has made tremendous improvements that residents are already noticing on the street,” said Mayor Dawn Zimmer. “I commend him and all of our Police Officers for the work they do every day to keep us safe.”

“In January, we had only four reported burglaries and four motor vehicle thefts,” said Police Chief Kenneth Ferrante. “I attribute these exceptionally low crime rates to our expanded night patrols and to the recent arrests of six package thieves which took six career criminals off our streets. Our detectives and officers working these important shifts deserve tremendous credit. It wasn’t long ago that Hoboken had over 700 car thefts per year, but we are continuing to reduce crime and make our community even safer than it already is.”

For the safety of all citizens, a vehicular travel ban will be in effect for the City of Hoboken as of 9:00pm on Monday, January 26, 2015.

Vehicular traffic will be restricted only to public safety personnel, medical professionals, mass transit operators, and public works and sanitation personnel. Vehicular travel by all others is restricted until further notice.

The City of Hoboken Office of Emergency Management has declared a snow emergency in advance of a major winter storm forecast to impact our area. The National Weather Service has issued a Blizzard Warning for a “crippling and possibly historic blizzard” from Monday, January 26 at 1:00pm through midnight on Tuesday, January 27. Snow accumulations of 20 to 30 inches or more, wind gusts up to 65 mph, life-threatening conditions, and extremely dangerous travel are forecast.

PARKING PROHIBITED ON SNOW ROUTES
Parking is prohibited on all snow emergency routes effective 9:00pm on January 25, 2015 until further notice. Vehicles are subject to towing. This is necessary to move police, fire and ambulances for the safety and welfare of all our citizens.

In addition, parking is prohibited on both sides of Vezzetti Way (parallel to Observer Highway). The area will be used for dumping snow.

Alternate side parking regulations are suspended until further notice. All other parking regulations remain in effect.

The Zimmer Administration announced today the appointment of Police Lieutenant Kenneth F. Ferrante as the City of Hoboken’s next Chief of Police effective December 1, 2014. Previously on July 1, 2014, Edelmiro “Eddie” Garcia was appointed as Provisional Chief of Police following the retirement of Chief Falco. Chief Garcia announced that he will retire on December 1, 2014.

“It was a very difficult choice, and Hoboken was lucky to have three outstanding candidates for the position,” said Mayor Dawn Zimmer. “I thank Chief Garcia and Captain Pasculli for their willingness to serve, and I congratulate Lieutenant Ferrante on his appointment and look forward to working with him as our new chief. On behalf of the citizens of Hoboken, I thank Chief Garcia for his lifelong commitment to the City of Hoboken and for leading our Police Department through this transition.”

In a letter to Mayor Zimmer, Chief Garcia expressed his deepest gratitude for the opportunity to service as provisional Chief of Police. “It has been both an honor and a privilege to serve in this capacity,” said Chief Garcia.

On Wednesday October 22, 2014 from 11:00am to 1:00pm, the Hoboken Police Department is inviting members of the public to have their child car seats checked. Inspections will be conducted by certified officers at 76 Park Avenue (the Park Avenue entrance to the Hoboken municipal garage).This is a free service performed by the Hoboken Police Department.

The City of Hoboken invites members of the community to join its 100-strong and growing Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). State-certified trainers will hold a series of free CERT classes this fall for up to 60 participants.

“We invite interested residents to join our nationally-recognized Community Emergency Response Team,” said Mayor Dawn Zimmer. “They are a model for how volunteers can make communities more resilient not just as first responders after emergencies, but also by helping our residents to be better prepared.”

Hoboken’s CERT volunteers have been recognized as “Community Preparedness Heroes” by FEMA, and CERT Coordinator Lou Casciano was honored as a Community Preparedness and Resilience “Champion of Change” by the White House.

Following Hurricane Sandy, interest in CERT grew tremendously. The City graduated its fourth CERT class in February, 2014, bringing the total number of trained volunteers to 100 members.

On Tuesday, August 5, 2014, Chief Edelmiro Garcia Jr., along with the Hoboken Police Department, will be hosting our annual National Night Out. National Night Out is a nationwide event that allows community workers to give back to their community. This year, we will be dedicating the night in memory of Detective Madhu Chohan. Detective Chohan joined the Hoboken Police Department on January 23, 2008. He unfortunately succumbed to an inoperable, malignant brain tumor on October 30, 2013. Detective Chohan was, and will always remain, an asset to the Hoboken Police Department. In remembrance, we will be presenting a plaque to his family at the event. This year we will have a proclamation ceremony at City Hall at 4:45pm, followed by a parade to Church Square Park led by the recruits of the Hoboken Junior Police Academy. Below are some of our highlights of the evening:

Several local businesses in addition to police agencies will be out in full support of this night out against crime. There will also be bounce houses and water slides and other kids’ entertainment!! People of all ages are encouraged to attend! Please come out and help us fight against crime! For further information contact Officer Daniel Simone at simoneda@hobokenpd.org or visit our website, www.Hobokenpd.com.

Mayor Dawn Zimmer is appointing Captain Edelmiro “Eddie” Garcia as Hoboken’s Provisional Chief of Police effective July 1, 2014. He is currently the Hoboken Police Division’s most senior captain, having served as captain since 1995. Hoboken’s current Police Chief Anthony Falco is retiring on June 30, 2014.

“I thank Chief Falco for his many years of service and dedication to our community and wish him a happy retirement,” said Mayor Zimmer. “During his time as Police Chief, crime in Hoboken has reached and remained at historic lows. I thank Captain Garcia for stepping up and taking on this new role as our Police Department undergoes this important transition.”

On June 2, 2014, numerous captains and lieutenants took the civil service Police Chief test. The test results are expected in several months. Following an interview process, Mayor Zimmer will appoint a permanent Police Chief in the coming months.

Residents are invited to a community meeting to discuss public safety issues. The meeting will be held on Thursday, March 20th at 7:00pm at the Multi Service Center, located at 124 Grand Street. In attendance will be Mayor Dawn Zimmer, Public Safety Director Jon Tooke, Councilman Tim Occhipinti, and representatives from the Hoboken Police Department.